Jensen Huang, global tech leaders to attend APEC CEO Summit

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang delivers a keynote address at CES 2025 in Las Vegas, Jan. 6. AFP-Yonhap

Leaders of global companies will gather in Gyeongju for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit, which will begin its four-day gathering on Oct. 28. They will seek ways to cooperate and develop business opportunities centered on artificial intelligence (AI), carbon neutrality, and sustainable value chains.

Industry moguls, including Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of AI accelerator giant Nvidia, along with leaders from the technology, finance, manufacturing, energy and platform sectors, have confirmed their attendance in the city in North Gyeongsang Province. Along with Korean global conglomerates like Samsung Electronics, SK Group, Hyundai Motor and LG Group, about 1,700 representatives from the world's leading businesses are set to join the event.

The biggest point of interest is Huang’s visit to Korea. Although Nvidia relies on Korean chipmakers like Samsung Electronics and SK hynix as key memory suppliers, this will be the AI guru's first trip to the country in 15 years.

According to the event's organizers, Huang is set to deliver his speech during a special session at 4 p.m., Oct. 31. Nvidia said he will attend the summit to share the company’s vision for accelerating technological innovation and growth worldwide, including Korea, across AI, robotics, digital twins and autonomous driving.

Huang’s attendance is expected to draw greater global attention to the APEC CEO Summit, given his influence in the AI industry. Nvidia is the dominant supplier of AI accelerators for data centers worldwide, so economies are closely watching its moves. The event’s host, the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, personally invited Huang to raise the summit’s profile.

Industry officials are expecting that Huang may have separate meetings with his Korean counterparts, including Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Chey to discuss their partnerships in the AI industry.

Along with Huang, confirmed attendees include Amazon Web Services CEO Matt Garman, Meta Vice President for Public Policy in APAC Simon Milner, Microsoft Corporate Vice Presidents Antony Cook and Ulrich Homann and Google Asia-Pacific Chief Marketing Officer Simon Kahn. Major Korean tech leaders such as Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon and LG AI Research Head Lee Hong-lak are also expected to attend.

The KCCI said this year’s APEC CEO Summit will differ from previous ones, as it will enable business leaders to meet one-on-one with presidents and ministers to identify common interests in investment and cooperation.

The event will feature panel discussions and speeches addressing current global issues involving public and private companies worldwide. The summit includes 20 sessions, 85 speakers — including CEOs and presidents — and over 19 hours of discussions in total.

The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won leaves Seoul heading to a meeting with global business leaders in Mar-a-Lago in Florida, Thursday. Yonhap

“Global agendas like AI ethics, investing for environmental-social-governance actions, and overcoming the digital gap will be the center of our focus,” a KCCI official said. “This summit will make APEC beyond an economic cooperative to a strategic platform that leads global governance.”

The APEC CEO Summit will also showcase Korean firms and brands in AI, defense, shipbuilding, digital assets, energy and retail industries on the sidelines of the main event. Through the K-Tech Innovation Showcase and other booths, these companies will promote new technologies, food, liquor, beauty products, art and advancements in various other sectors.

“2025 APEC CEO Summit will transform our concerns and worries into actual business opportunities,” KCCI Executive Vice Chairman Park Il-joon said. “The central and local governments and companies have long been preparing for the summit. The summit will hopefully boost Korea’s global reputation and witness new growth engines for this era of AI.”

Citing data from Deloitte, the KCCI said the event will generate economic value worth 7.4 trillion won ($5.2 billion) and create 22,000 new jobs.